The Inconsistant Boy Scout
by marianna
Summary: What would happen if Veronica needed help on a case, and Logan was the only one who could give it to her? Read this story to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own nor am I in any way affiliated with Veronica Mars, although seriously, I would love to be.

Anger, hated, all-consuming love. _These_ are the emotions he's used to feeling around Veronica Mars; but not pity. _Never_ pity. She doesn't accept it-doesn't want it from him or _anyone_, and even when he'd wanted to hate her, his grudging respect had stemmed from it. But now…now everything's different. Everything had changed the moment he found out Duncan's secret.

"You haven't said a word in 15.8 miles, Echolls. Should I be worried that you're planning a coup?" The grin that she throws him is open and wide, and for a moment the breath is knocked out of him. It startles him sometimes, how much he'd loved her. Loves her still. He looks down at his hands and bites his lip to avoid sighing out loud with what he knows could tear this fragile peace they have to pieces. "Feigning sleep? And when I already saw you with your eyes open? Aww, you're slipping." She chuckles to herself and faces the road again, but he tenses.

"You figured me out, Mars. Who could sleep with all your yammering?" His tone is icy, and for a moment he's worried that he's pushed too far. He begins to berate himself for it, and then berates himself for caring. He can't let her in again. It would be chaos, a disaster, a catastrophe…but he can't help himself. He sneaks another glance at her, and his heart constricts. He loves her. It's that simple.

"Yammering? Well, that is a new one." She glances at him and smiles again, and he tries not to smile back too enthusiastically. "So I shouldn't be worried that you're trying to commandeer this operation? Because really, my way is the best way." She winks, and he can't help smiling back. _God, he loves her._

"Don't worry, Mars. My virility is at your service." He pretends not to notice the blush that has graces her cheeks.

"I wouldn't have asked you," She continues, obviously ignoring his latest statement, and he can't say that he blames her. He's a jackass, and he knows it fully, but it's the only way for him to survive. "But Duncan-" She looks so sad and crestfallen for a moment, that his throat tightens. _If only she knew…_

"But Duncan has League Meets." The lie trips easily off of his tongue, and he wonders fleetingly why it isn't this easy with the truth. "You can take the boy out of the Boy Scout but I'm not too sure you can take the Boy Scout out of the boy." She smiles at that, a small and private smile, and he feels sick to his stomach.

"We haven't been spending much time together lately," She starts, biting her lip, and glancing over at him to see if he's Okay; if _this_ is Okay to talk about. He doesn't have to heart to stop her, fully content to be her knight in shining armor, even if he doesn't get to hold her at the end of the day. _Now when did _that_ happen?_ He finds he really can't tell, but at some unidentified point, his life became more than cheap thrills and stupid pranks. _She_ had tried to show him that, but by the time he'd gotten it through his thick skull, it was too late. "…Y'know?" She asks, glancing at him quickly. He nods, biting his lip, a guilty knot tying itself in his stomach, because he hadn't been listening. He'd been thinking of what she would do if he just leaned over and kissed her. "And I just wanted this trip to be…I don't know, what pulled us back together." He closes his eyes in agony, rubbing his temples in anticipation for the headache to come.

"Please tell me there isn't a frilly honeymoon suite in my future, Mars, because that would just be too much." He replies flippantly, surprised to see the flush creeping up her cheeks again. _I'm going to _kill you_, Duncan_, he thinks, but settles for smiling tightly at her and focusing his attention out the window. He does less damage that way.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own _Veronica Mars_, and as much as I wish I were, I am in no way affiliated with the show either. Although, they should start paying me for all the good PR I give them, seriously.

_If you don't stop looking at her, Echolls, instead of only _assuming_ that you're her whipping boy, she'll have _proof_. And what will you do then?_ He hates himself for loving her, for so needing the brief moments that they spend together-but he can't survive without them-without her. She's putting the finishing touches on her makeup as she pulls into the abandoned parking lot, rolling to a smooth stop.

"This car drives like a dream, Echolls." She states, smirking as she coats her lips with Sugarcane. "I'm surprised I didn't start driving it earlier." Laughing, she checks her appearance in the mirror again and turns to face him. "So what do you think?" Despite the farcical get up, he can't get over her beauty.

"Were you _going_ for the 80's prom queen look, Ronnie, or did it just come naturally?" Her eyes flash as she glares at him, but she smirks as she reaches in the back and grabs a plastic bag.

"And this is for you, my little convict man." She laughingly tells him, patting his cheek for effect. The touch of skin against skin is electric, and he can tell by the look on her face that he isn't the only one who felt it.

"I thought you-"

"I do have magic powers, Logan," She mutters, glancing everywhere in the car but at him, still unsettled by her strong reaction to him. "But with the sheriff's department? Not so much."

"What about that guy…" He waves his hand around haphazardly, scrunching up his face. "That cop guy that you were tight with. Couldn't he have helped?" Her laugh is bitter.

"Leo? No, actually concerning you, also not so much." She rubs her neck, glancing in her side mirror to make sure that no one has followed then.

"Concerning me?" He asks, and she rolls her eyes as she glances at him. Their gazes catch and hold, and she suddenly feels shaky. "What the hell does your…Deputy Leo have against me?" His tone is icy, and as the flush rushes to her cheeks, he cringes. _Smart move, Echolls, way to _alienate_ the girl._

"Can you just change please?" She asks, her voice small and breaking. She shoves the garment bag into his hands, and he throws it into the back, climbing in after it.

"So how did you work this, Mars? They've got me under lock and key," He sticks out his leg to point out the blinking brace clamped to his ankle. "But I figured you'd have worked your of magic, because when we left town, no one followed us." The words have barely come out of his mouth before she's answering.

"It has a 16 mile radius," She replies, as if it is the simplest answer in the world. "Lucky, huh, that I checked that before we left? If I hadn't we'd have been in deep trouble." She smirks back at him; he feels the pit in his stomach growing. _Can you do _nothing_ right, Echolls?_ "I arranged it so that the meeting spot would be here." He looks around quizzically, his face confused; all he sees is a vacant lot. "Or well, down there." She gestures towards a disheveled looking motel a couple of yards down the strip. "It's cutting it a little close, but if everything goes according to plan, you won't even have to get out of the car." Her eyes meet his in the rearview mirror, and he pauses as he knots his tie, his mouth suddenly dry.

"So what exactly is it that we're solving?" He asks, climbing back into the front seat, and checking his face in the mirror.

"You can barely see it." Her voice is barely a whisper, but it surrounds him all at once, enveloping him in its warmth.

"See what?" He asks a moment too late, snapping the mirror to its upright position. He turns to face her, his eyes guarded.

"I know you got beat up the other night, Logan." Though soft, her voice holds a quiet certainty.

"You don't know anything about it, Veronica. Leave it alone." He buttons the jacket, and turns to face her for scrutiny. "What do you think? I didn't exactly know what I was going for, but is this at least ball park?" Swiftly she glances at him and smiles tightly. She leans across, moves to push a lock of hair from his face, but her fingers still before she touches him.

"Sorry," She mumbles after a second, moving back to her seat and swallowing. "You look nice. Fine. Are you ready to go?" She sounds lost and young, and all he wants to do is grab her up in his arms and hold her. She slams out of the car and appears on his side in a matter of moments.

"What are you-"

"You have to drive. It's part of the cover." She doesn't look him in the eye, finds that she can't. He scrambles to the driver's side, looking at her quizzically.

"I'm gonna ask again, I wonder if this time you'll answer. What exactly is our…mission?" He smiles to lighten the mood, and glancing up at him she takes the bait. Biting her lip she leans down and rifles through her bag, a spiral notebook in her hands. "The short version please, Mars." He replies, eyeing her resources, and she frowns to conceal her mirth.

"Boy meets girl. That's the way they all start, isn't it?" She asks, and her voice is suddenly forlorn. "Boy falls for girl. Girl falls for boy's trust fund." He smiles knowingly, and she smiles up at him. A connection is forged. "Boy promises to whisk Girl away from all her troubles. Girl figures she'd better take the bait. Now, 12 years later, Girl loves Boy, and boy, he's banging the help." He stares down at her, unsure whether to throw his head back and laugh or weep for the state of humanity.

"So…who are we here for?"

"It is kind of confusing isn't it?" She replies smirking, and not really answering his question at all.

"Fine, Mars. I concede." He mutters playfully, as he slowly pulls in to the motel's parking lot. "As long as you know what you're doing-" He stops mid sentence because her face has gone deathly pale. "Veronica, what-what's wrong?" She's attempting to pull her hair away from her face, but failing miserably.

"I need you to kiss me." She mutters, blushing furiously. The shock on his face is palpable.

"What?" He exclaims, but his words are lost as she presses her lips against his.

Author's Note: No, it's not because she saw Duncan doing something naughty in the parking lot. Even the Donut isn't that stupid. Sorry to dash your hopes, kids.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of _Veronica Mars_, although I really wish I did.

It's split second contact, feather light and one of the most chaste kisses he's ever received, yet all the same, Logan feels the warmth of it straight down to his toes. He starts to pull away but she pulls on the lapels of his jacket, angling him closer to her.

"If you move," She whispers, her eyes not meeting his, but darting out the window to the action in front of the motel. She licks her lips inadvertently, and he has to suppress a shudder. "They'll see me." Finally she looks up at him, her eyes wide and full of fear, and they lock onto his, pleading without words, begging him to understand. "And if they see me, our cover is blown." _So?_ He wants to scream to do…_something_, because she's too close. _They're_ too close, and he doesn't know how much more of it he can take. But then she bites her lip, the look in her eyes so desperate that he tries to pretend the motion doesn't send him reeling. In all honesty he's surprised he's lasted this long. "Which means that I don't get paid, and this my…" She trails off, but he knows. _Finally_ understands. He can finish the sentence for her. _College money._ "Oh God," She murmurs sighing more to herself than to him, and the tiny whisper hits him square in the collarbone, sending rippling sensations through him. "They're moving. Lean towards me a little." Her voice is low, focused, and it kills him that she isn't feeling the way that he is. "I'm sorry about this," She whispers, and for a fleeting second he thinks she's talking about the trip.

"Hey, don't worry about it." He replies, trying _so_ hard to keep his love for her out of his voice. "I really needed to get out of Neptune." He chuckles lightly, and she smiles a little, but shakes her head, one of the elastics falling from her messily constructed coiffure. He reaches to grab it without thinking, his fingers lightly brushing the skin on her shoulder.

"I know this has to be uncomfortable for you. After…" She trails off again, looking away, and moving a scant inch closer because of something he can't see, something outside the window. "And I know that you're…not…I know that this was asking a lot, and you're being really great about it." Her eyes are filled with gratitude, and at the sight of her, can't even begin to control the torrent of anger flowing through him.

"Wait." His voice is icy now. He can't help it. "You're apologizing for _this_?" Out of view of the window, he waves his hand, gesturing towards the two of them. She is taken aback, confusion filling her pretty blue eyes.

"What did you think I was apologizing for, Logan?" She asks softly. "You're doing me a huge favor." She takes her eyes from his, checking the rearview for the actions of their targets. "I know you're not my hugest fan." She smiles at him tightly. "I was…I've _been_ terrible to you. But your doing this like it's nothing…it means a lot to me." He's cooling down a bit, trying to keep his anger in check. _Can she really be that oblivious to how much he loves her?_ "I know that Duncan appreciates it too." She smiles-that small private smile of hers, and he can feel the world crashing about his ears.

"Duncan?" The word is like lead on his tongue, his tone numb. _Dead_. **Her eyes widen, and he can tell that she wants to move back, get away from him, but she can't. If she moves, their cover will be blown.**

The smile that crosses his features at that can only be termed as evil.

"Yeah. He couldn't come because of League Meets." Although still soft, her voice has an edge to it. Hearing it, he's absurdly pleased. At least he isn't the only one getting riled up. "What am I going to do? Get mad because my boyfriend is teaching 10-year-olds how to play soccer?" She points a finger at herself, the look on her face self-deprecating. "That would make me the _uncool_ girlfriend, and that's not exactly what I was going for." There is a war waging inside him. _Your boyfriend isn't _playing_ soccer_, _Veronica_; he wants to scream. Wants to shake her until she understands that if _anything_, Duncan's _learning_, not teaching, and from someone whose just a _little_ older than 10. He can't though. He knows that with a sprinkling of those few, choice words he could have her sobbing in his arms; probably his bed. But he doesn't want her that way. Despite the fact that he craves her, _needs_ her, like that it would be unacceptable. _This might be your last shot with her, Echolls; _the voice inside him screams, but he knows better. He won't be the inconsistent one for once. He loves her, and when she's ready for it, he'll be there, like always.

A/N: I know. That sounds like an ending, doesn't it? It would be so easy to end here. But I won't. And then, later on, when the story becomes tedious and too hard to write, I will think back to this reprieve that I could have had, and laugh scornfully. I'm sorry it took so long by the way, folks. School-and the lack of work I've done for it this semester has finally caught up with me. Oh by the way, so you guys can get a kick out of it, that last line was originally supposed to be, "He won't be the inconsistent boy scout for once". But then it struck me that he _isn't_. Like, even though it would've probably fit really well, he isn't the inconsistent boy scout. Duncan is-in this story at least. But yeah, also, now as I look at it for the second time I'm thinking it would've looked kind of hokey, so I'm glad I didn't keep it in.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Maybe if I'm really really good, for Christmas I'll get the exclusive rights to _Veronica Mars_ and Jason Dohring. Heh. But as of now I have neither-and believe me, it's pretty torturesome.

Minutes tick by that feel like hours. He doesn't know how long he can sit there, farcically holding her, pretending to pretend. He shifts; a tiny turning motion, and his fingers accidentally brush the skin of her arm. He feels the electric undercurrent go through her, but despite the tinge of red spotting her cheeks; she doesn't look at him, her eyes riveted to the window.

"Did I _do_ something?" The words are low-his voice hoarse, and although the words have tumbled out of their own volition, he finds he desperately needs to know the answer. Finally she looks up at him, and he finds that her eyes are as tormented as his. Before he can speak she turns away again, biting her lip.

"No." Her tone is broken and she curses herself for it. Logan Echolls is trouble-more trouble than she knows what to do with, and although that excuse has worked in the past, as she sneaks a glance up at him, she finds it doesn't quite fit anymore. _Why did you have to kiss him, Veronica?_ She looks up at him again, but this time he catches her, and their gazes hold. _And why did he have to let you?_ "You didn't do a thing." She continues, surprising herself almost as much as she's surprised him.

"Okay." He responds lamely, but before he can say another word, she's gazing up at him, unshed tears darkening her eyes. "Veronica-"

"Duncan isn't at League Meets, is he?" She asks. For a split second his eyes close and it _hurts_-kills him, knowing that once again this isn't about him._It'll _never_ be about him_, he realizes. _Maybe it never was._

"Now where would you get that idea, Veronica?" He asks tonelessly, and though she glances at him sharply, he doesn't say a word.

"You wouldn't have come if he was." She responds simply, and the confusion in his eyes almost looks real. "Humor me, Logan. Give me _some_ credit, Okay? I get paid to determine how exactly the significant other cheats."

"Veronica-"

"No!" She exclaims, her thin vale of composure slipping. "_Don't_ lie to me, Logan." He opens his mouth to speak but she shakes her head, the tears spilling onto her cheeks.

"Veronica, it's not what it seems like." She glares at him them, anger and contempt sharpening her features.

"And what does it look like, Logan? Even my boyfriend, my nice, _normal_ boyfriend can't stand to be around me." The sobs that wrack through her are heavy, and her shoulders heave with the weight of it all; heavy, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Veronica," He murmurs, grabbing her into his arms and fitting her forehead beneath his chin. "Shh." He's murmuring incoherent nothings into her hair, holding her close, and she can't help feeling that this is the safest she's felt in months.

"Am I not good enough?" She scoots back, settling into the passenger seat and tilting her head back, looking at him straight in the eye. Her voice is broken, and her heart is shining in her eyes, but he can see the steely resolve behind them. His little Veronica, even in the face of heartbreak, she was still strong. A fighter.

"Veronica, c'mon-"

"No, Logan. Jake and Celeste never liked me-all of the '09ers thought he was slumming…you did too…" Her voice breaks again, and she turns away, glancing out the window and he feels her getting further and further away from him with each passing word.

"Veronica, there is _nothing_ wrong with you." His tone is harsher than he'd anticipated and she stares up at him, eyes wide. "You are-you're perfect! You're smart and beautiful, my God Veronica," He leans forward, cupping her face in his hands and lightly kissing her, not thinking, not holding back, and not giving her the opportunity to get away. Their lips are fused together, and he drags her onto his lap again, tangling his fingers in her hair. "I love you," He whispers, averting his eyes, the words tripping out before he can stop them. She inhales sharply, her lips parting. He glances up, trapping his eyes with hers. "I love you."

A/N: It was really really hard to write this. Really, really hard. But I hope you liked it.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of _Veronica Mars_, sadly, although you would think that with all the stressing that I do over it that it was my child or something.

The second the words are out of his mouth he regrets them. She's facing the window, her hands covering her eyes, and he has a sneaking suspicion, from her shaking shoulders, that she's crying.

"Veronica," He whispers, reaching over to her, his fingers lightly grazing her shoulder. She whips around to face him, her face a mask of hurt, anger and confusion.

"What, Logan? What do you want from me?" Her voice cracks, and she squeezes her eyes closed, irritated at the sign of weakness. "Don't you realize what you're doing to me?" She asks a moment later, her voice low and broken.

"I don't mean to do anything." He responds, but no matter how earnestly the words are whispered, he knows they aren't the right ones. Nothing he says can help her now. She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand, glancing up at him and inhaling sharply as their eyes catch.

"What did you expect me to say, Logan?" She asks softly; her tone even. Her eyes are trained somewhere around his ear, almost as though she's afraid that looking into his eyes will spill her secrets. "Did you want me to tell you that I love you too? So much so that just looking at you hurts? That every single time I see you my breath catches?" She's crying again, but she makes no move to wipe her eyes. He swallows, and bites his lip, staring at her so intently that she can't help but looking back.

"It would be nice." He responds teasingly, and she can't control the spurt of amusement that lightens her eyes.

"God, Logan!" She exclaims after a moment, leaning forward-as far away in the seat as she can get from him, and runs her fingers through her hair, tugging on the ends. "You can't say that." She swallows, trying to regain her breath, her footing, but as she glances at him out of the corner of her eye, she finds she can't. He's pushed her to the brink again, and she doesn't know how to get back.

"What, Veronica?" His tone is suddenly hard, and she looks up at him, her eyes watery. "What? Do you want me to lie to you? I can't. I _won't_. Looking at you doesn't hurt-it fucking _kills_, but I still do it. And when you walk into a room? I don't lose my breath; you _steal_ it." She starts to cry again, great, big, noiseless sobs that wrench at his heart. Wiping her eyes again, she curses under her breath and sneaks a peek out of the window to his right. "Veronica," He murmurs, his tone soft and low, and she swallows, forcing herself to look at him. "Loving you isn't easy. But I'll never stop." He reaches over to her hunched form, and cups her cheek. It takes a few seconds for her to push him away and it's those seconds are that are keeping him alive.

"I can't do this right now, Logan. Actually, I can't do this ever-but _especially_ not now. I am on a case. My personal feelings about you, or Duncan-" She stops for a moment, and swallows, the name tearing through her throat like a shard of glass. "Or anything, don't matter." She turns away then, pulling the notebook from out of her bag, slipping it in her lap out of view of the window, and nibbling on her lip.

"Okay." He responds, and startled she looks up at him, expecting to see the answers in his eyes, but they are hooded.

"Okay?" She asks, hating herself as her voice catches on the second syllable. "No, it isn't 'Okay'!" She writing furiously now, her pen making squeaking noises on the page, and for the first time since they'd left Neptune, he notices that she doesn't have her laptop. "But it doesn't matter. College money is college money." He hates that there is an edge to her voice. Hates that if he hadn't been there, she would be here alone, and the very thought causes his pulse to race.

"Where's your computer?" He asks after a moment, and her petite shoulders shrug.

"_Smooth_ transition, Echolls. You get a 10." A smile plays across his lips at her sarcasm, but when she glances up at his silence, she sighs, rubbing her temples. "When there's a brand new surveillance technology that you're not quite sure about, the smartest thing to do is to leave it unobtrusively in a hotel room. You'd be surprised at how well it works. Great sound and everything." She's looking down again, her eyes not meeting his, but he can feel her pragmatism in waves. Her tone is lifeless.

"So that's how you knew." His words are simple; the sentiment behind them is not. His heart breaks for her, this girl who has come to mean more to him than life itself.

"That's how I knew."

"Veronica, I'm sorry. I wanted-" She glances up at him, and for a second everything else disappears. They have always had this affect on each other, and it is as dangerous as it is heady.

"I saw it, you know." She replies, turning away again. Back to her notes, to the manual surveillance that Duncan has forced her to.

"…saw it?" He cringes as he pictures her happening upon the same sweaty scene as he had. At least her method had been unobtrusive.

"The second that you walked in on them. It was the first time I was getting the feed back, and from the look on your face, I just knew." Her voice is muffled, and his stomach drops.

"I should have told you. I wanted to tell you. But there was…" His voice trails off, and he shakes his head, turning away from her, and all at once she misses the contact of his eyes. "You seemed so happy. I didn't want to ruin that again." _Again_. Once more reminding her of their past, and just how much she wants to surrender to it. She wants to speak, but words would not be adequate. As a knock sounds on the window, she is pulled out of her reverie. Their cover is blown.

A/N: Ok, I don't know what it is about this story, but it's getting harder and harder to write. I hope you guys liked this chapter, because it has my blood, sweat and tears in it.


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